Day 102: Islas Galapagos: Back to Santa Cruz

May 20, 2006

Today the day started early - at 9 o'clock in the morning we already were
proud survivors of the boat trip from Puerto Villamil to Puerto Ayora. The
killer waterbus left Isla Isabela at 6:15AM. Fortunately, this time the ocean
was slightly calmer and the boat ride was somewhat smoother and a bit shorter.
Unfortunately, 2 hours and 15 minutes of pure torture was more than enough
for most of the passengers to get dizzy or motion-sick, or both
As soon as the ground stopped swinging under our feet and we could finally
walk again (you have to take one of those Galapagos waterbus trips to really
understand what we are talking about) we headed straight to the Charles Darwin
Research Station.

Located at the Academy Bay, only 1.5km from the active Puerto Ayora, the
station feels like a whole different world: secluded and calm, no souvenir
vendors, no noisy snack bars, no hassle of any kind; just a few lazy visitors
quietly strolling along the narrow paths surrounded by cacti, prickly pear,
the salt bush, mangroves and other weird arid-zone flora. The station also
features a very informative visitor center (Centro de Interpretacion), a small
museum and a cute baby tortoise nursery. If you are a serious tortoise-lover,
you can talk to the scientists of the station about getting a Galapagos tortoise
of your own! All you have to do is "adopt" a tortoise by agreeing
to provide regular financial aid to the station. In return, you will receive
periodic detailed accounts about your tortoise's daily activities.

At the station we also had a chance to finally meet Lonesome George (Jorge
Solitario), the best-known resident of the Galapagos Islands and the most
famous bachelor in the word, outranking even such stubborn specimens as George
Clooney and Hugh Grant! Lonesome George is a Giant Galapagos Tortoise that
comes from the Island of Pinta. Due to the tragic events of the 19th century
when whalers and buccaneers killed most of the giant tortoises, George remained
the last surviving example of his species (hence, "Lonesome") and
was brought to the Charles Darwin Research Center where he joined the captive
breeding program for the giant tortoises. To the greatest disappointment of
all the scientist community, Lonesome George keeps ignoring all the pretty
ladies brought to him from as far as Northern Isabela (genetically closest
species to George) and so far has not produced any offspring. The scientists
are blaming the possible genetic distance between Lonesome George and his
female companions, but we think there is a slightly different problem here
- most likely George just cannot get away from his bachelor lifestyle and
the habits he has developed during the 65 solitary years.

The last highlight of the day was the amazing Bahia Tortuga - a stunning
white-sand beach at the Tortuga Bay, about 3km west from Puerto Ayora. Of
course, there are many gorgeous white-sand beaches all over the world, but
where else could you possibly watch white-tip shark youngsters circulating
around your feet just 2 meters away from the shore??!!